Miraculous Mary: One Man's Son
by Adelled
Summary: Mary doesn't believe. At least she thinks she doesn't. Will her faith save Marshall?


Disclaimer: Mary and Marshall belong to David Maples. If they hadn't been misused by others I wouldn't be writing this.

A/N: Mary has no knowledge of events in previous Miraculous Mary stories.

Miraculous Mary: Son of Man

MARY POV

Delia and I are going through the MOU with our newest witness, Jack Pratt now Jack Clark, a thief who decided to roll on his fence when the guy threatened him. Not a bad call, but that doesn't make him a good person. Lucky for him the douche was into more than fencing what Jack stole. Jack had names, dates and what went down. The AUSA was licking his chops when he heard Jack wanted to testify in exchange for witness protection.

I'm not going give this douchebag any wiggle room. There's no way I'm letting him alone with Delia, even though he's technically her witness. Not with the racial slurs he thinks I didn't hear. Delia and I are both going to his new abode, and we'll both bring his groceries. Then I'm going to search the place to make sure he hasn't managed to get a gun or drugs while we were gone.

There's a bunch of crappy apartments in an ugly part of town that are just perfect for this guy. I arranged for the douchbag's new dump and Delia and I are driving him there when we see a silver sedan tailing us. Delia gets the plate and calls it in. I hear Marshall tell Charlie to run the plate. Then Marshall says, "I'm on my way." WTF? Really Chief? I'm trying to tell him we can handle this but he didn't give me a chance. Marshall hung up!

"Chief must be bored. He'll meet us there." Delia understands but I can tell she's spooked. There must be a reason Marshall thinks we need back up. I gun the SUV and make a sharp turn into a dirt alley. The clouds of dust might cover my next move. If these guys are out of towners I can lose them in the maze of alleys and private streets.

Jack Spratt is complaining. If the idiot was wearing his seat belt he wouldn't be tossed around. "Hey Jack! I know how to fix that. Get down on the floor NOW and stay there till I tell you." When he whines I remind him what a great target he makes, and he finally gets the point. I manage to shake the tail and after driving around for another half hour we arrive at Jack's new digs.

There's a black SUV parked across the street. That's Marshall's rig. Why does he need to check up on us? He gets out, stands behind the door, checking the area, then starts walking toward my van. I hear a car accelerate. A shot rings out and Marshall goes down without even unholstering his Glock. _No, no. God no. Not Marshall!_

Where did the shot come from? I see a gun sticking out of the window of the black sedan that screeches past us. Delia and I shoot but only hit the back window which shatters. At least we forced them to swerve and miss Marshall. He doesn't need to be run over and shot. As soon as the sedan turns the corner I run across the street. Delia wants to help but her job is to stay with the witness and call 911.

At first I don't see any blood. Running my hands over his chest a feel a wet spot on his black shirt. Crap! He's been hit, center mass. Where is that ambulance? "Dammit Doofus. You aren't supposed to be here and you're sure as hell aren't supposed to get shot!" I keep pressure on the wound with both hands but the blood spurts between my fingers. "Marshall!" His eyes are closed. "C'mon Chief, open those baby blues. You know how you love to tell me what to do. Here's your chance."

Delia is looking for the big first aid kit Marshall bought for all the office cars. Once she finds it she keeps one eye on Jack and the other on me as she tosses it to me. "Get out of here Delia." She nods and drives off leaving me pressing gauze pads on the hole in his chest. His eyes slowly open. I grab his face, putting red fingerprints on his cheeks and force him to look at me. "You've got to hang on Marshall. The ambulance is on the way."

His eyes flicker and his head lolls to the side. "Mare," he bleats weakly. He stares straight ahead unseeing.

"You promised. You can't leave. Not now." _Not ever!_

He's not breathing! "No," I wail and frantically pound his chest. "No. You can't go." I start rescue breathing, my lips finally on his. He needs so much more than I can do. "I need you Marshall. I **need** you. Don't you dare abandon your partner!" The miraculous medal I wear hovers over his face. In an uncharacteristic fit of empathy Jinx replaced the one I lost when James died. God, I could use a miracle. His pulse is slowing.

I haven't prayed in decades, but I do now. "Please God! Don't let him die." I beg. "He doesn't deserve this. Dear God don't let him die!"

I gave up praying when Jinx started getting hammered every night. It was up to me to get Brandi and I fed and dressed for school. Every morning I stopped at church to pray for Daddy's return. Sister Cecelia said God always answers our prayers but sometimes the answer is no. I can't accept that. Not this time. Not for Marshall. He deserves every good thing in this life. _Please God, please holy mother. Let him live._

I'm pushing my breath into his lungs. I slam my eyes shut when a bright light surrounds us. How bright are ambulance headlights? I ease my eyes open when the light softens and a woman emerges from the fog. She's wearing a white robe with a blue cloak billowing in the wind. Except there is no wind. Every morning when Sister Cecelia took us to mass the year Jinx sent us to Catholic school I sat in front of this statue.

But this is no statue. Her hand is reaching out to me. I grab my miraculous medal, desperate enough to try anything and everything to save Marshall's life. "Blessed Mother, please let my friend live. Marshall is a good man. Please, please, save him. I'll do whatever you ask."

Silence enfolds us. "Daughter named for me." I feel rather than hear her words. "Follow your heart and you can change his fate."

Follow my heart? How do I do that? Am I dreaming? As suddenly as she came she's gone and so is Marshall. What in the hell just happened?

I shade my eyes with my hand. Jeezus the sun is bright. Where in the hell am I? I catch myself at the top of the porch steps and just barely miss tripping. That's Marshall in front of me, and I hear Seth ahead of him. I take a deep breath - Operation Falcon. How did I get here? Is this what the Blessed Mother promised? How would following my heart change things? We all came out of this okay – even Marshall's witness. Although getting shot in the leg is no picnic. Seth learned a thing or two about his son and Marshall found that his Dad loved him. All good, right?

It might not be Operation Falcon I need to change. If Marshall and I aren't partners or if he wasn't Chief, he wouldn't get shot by whoever was out to get Jack Pratt. As soon as we wrap this up I need to leave Albuquerque. I can't be his partner. Is that following my heart? Sure it is. My heart wants Marshall to live and if he has nothing to do with me, he will. But first we've got to get Billy and his girlfriend out of the mess they've made.

Can I change things so we find Billy's girlfriend Amber sooner and keep the confidential informant from being murdered? I know Amber stashes the money in her locker at work, and that Billy calls Liam Sykes messing up our sting. If I stick the CI in a safe house then camp out at U-Move I can catch Billy before he calls Liam.

It's too late to stop our visit to Joan's shop. After our discussion with the CI, Marshall and Seth are heading to the car when I grab Marshall's arm. "Liam will kill Joan if he finds out she talked to us. ABQPD doesn't take kindly to having their CI's bumped off. I'm going to stash her in a safe house. You and Seth call for back up and get Liam." Seth gives me an odd look when I go back to the store instead of going with them. Marshall's calling for back up. Thank God! If by some chance Liam is there this time around, Marshall and his Dad will have help taking him down.

I order Joan to close for the day and send her girl home. Liam never saw the girl so she should be okay. We use Joan's car to get to the safe house then I borrow it to go to the U-Move. I call Marshall and tell him I saw Billy heading this way and will wait here to head him off.

God it's been a long strange day. Never thought time travel would be so tiring. Jeeze. Talk about be careful what you wish for. What a mess. I find an almost comfortable bench in the tiny break room of the U-Move and hunker down to wait for Billy. The place is closed, dark. The only sound the hum of the fluorescent emergency lights and the rain.

How in the hell – or heaven since the Blessed Virgin was involved – did I end up here? What else was happening in my life then? Scott Griffin showed up and Brandi was ooing and ahing over having a brother, half brother. Day trader my ass. It was mistrust at first glance. Any male with Shannon blood has to be be addicted to gambling. Scott confessed as much. He claims to be reformed. Sure he is.

I was thrilled to meet Marshall's father. My dreams of getting blackmail worthy information about Marshall never panned out, but that was okay. With Seth around Marshall had enough grief. Seth was a legendary fugitive hunter but he had no clue about WitSec. If he hadn't pulled rank and had the three of us go for Liam we would have had enough officers to take Liam and his gang. Billy wouldn't have gotten shot. I can stop Billy from calling Liam. He'll stay in the office and be okay. Billy can't call his brothers to tell them about the deal. Brothers? Why would he call his brothers? He only has one and Mexican prisons don't allow phone calls.

I shake my head to clear it and gasp as I open my eyes. I hear Billy talking. Dammit! He's talking to Liam. Crap! A tiny piece of my mind notes that I woke up in the same past. So this is permanent? I can't think about that right now. I've got to get Billy hidden before Liam arrives.

Before Billy finishes talking to Liam I call Marshall. He wants to know why I 'let' Billy call Liam but I scream at him to get back up and get his ass over here. Billy drops the bag of money onto the table when I yell.

I approach him slowly, showing my badge. "Amber's safe Billy. I'm Marshall's partner. She's okay, she's not hurt, and you won't be either if you do what I say." I give him time to let that fact sink in. "Liam's on his way here and you need to hide. Marshall's coming and we'll take care of Liam. Okay?"

Billy's flummoxed. He doesn't know what to think. Dear God is Joan still alive? Where can I hide Billy? We're out of time. Liam's coming in the door. Billy grabs the bag of cash and throws it at Liam running past him out the door. Liam lets the bag drop and chases Billy into the rain. He didn't see me hiding behind the counter. I spring up and follow him.

Liam is chasing Billy down rows of campers and trailers. The rain and dark and poor lighting make for a dangerous game of hide and seek. I've lost track of Billy then spot him an aisle over from Liam. Liam must hear him too because he starts in that direction. I shout, "US Marshall! Put the gun down!" and point my weapon at him. I've got a clear shot because this time Billy isn't in the way.

Car doors slam. Marshall's here, I can feel it. And in seconds I hear him. "Liam Sykes put the gun down. US Marshalls." Liam's gun is still pointing at me. He gets this frustrated angry look and pulls the trigger. Crap!

I'm lying on the ground, my head in Marshall's lap. I open my eyes when he shouts for a bus. What's going on? I try to sit up and then I know. I've been shot. From the look on my partner's face, it's bad, really bad. I can't tell if the wetness I feel is from the rain or his tears. He's sobbing and petting my hair. "Mare, Mare you're going to be fine." Sure I am that's why there's an elephant sitting on my chest. "I love you Mare. I can't live without you."

Only my eyes move as I take in his blue eyes, his aquiline nose, his jaw almost as sharp as his mind. "Marsh." It's an effort but I have to follow my heart. "I love you." It ends as a whisper and I'm not sure he heard. He's crying full out now. "Don't," I croak. "Don't cry." What happened to the lights? The room is getting darker. I sigh content, knowing that once I'm out of Marshall's life he'll be safe.

THE END

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A/N: The second half of this story reboots season 3 episode 8, Son of Man. The last Miraculous Medal one shot will be posted next Saturday.


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